Wisconsin Hunting Reports/Discussion
Hunting or Shooting???
Bow hunting I'd rather be in a stand in a tree hunting downwind of a travel corridor. Gun hunting I'd rather be in one of our tower blinds that have heaters. Are either really hunting? I'm looking for a nice buck either way gun or bow. I know I'll have food either way, and I know my family will shoot enough deer to fill the freezer. I'm not concerned about that. I personally consider rifle hunting easy mode, but it is still hunting and I still do it and enjoy it. It's not like you walk out to the woods and there is a 170" buck tied to a tree. You still have to do some planning and hope for a lot of luck to get the job done.
fair chase term was coined for Fenced vs Non fenced. Does that answer your question? If it's a 10,000 acre ranch, hunting a spot that is fenced, someone on the outside can't kill that animal. That's not fair chase.
Hunting in a blind on private or public land is considered fair chase and if you think it's not and you don't like it, don't do it.
Someone brought up the point of fishing in a shanty, with a vexilar....sure, the fisherman has an advantage but i've seen plenty of dudes with all the technology and still can't catch a cold.
I don't think that is comparing apples to apples.
Now if you are talking gun hunting out of blind, all gun hunting regardless of how you do it is just shooting. killing animals with a gun is not very difficult. it's hunting, but no one does it for a challenge. If you live in Alaska off the land and kill with a gun that is hunting for survival. that's not the case in WI. The people that need deer for food don't buy a tag and partake in gun season. they open the door and kill one at the bird feeder and drag it in the garage.
Hunting deer with a bow from the ground, regardless of a natural blind or store bought is one of the most difficult ways to kill a deer. The people that do it regularly should be proud cause it's much harder than in a tree.
My land has a lot of tag alders and tall canary grass so being elevated is a definite plus .
What no one else mentioned is the safety factor involved . Gun safety is always a concern , but I always felt better knowing most shots would be downward rather than horizontal .
Some years I had 5 hunters on 75 acres , just gave me some peace of mind.
I did sit elevated for the last 12 years . Finally closed it in 3 years ago. Must admit I don't miss rain or snow down my neck , since I was always there dark to dark . Unless there was a deer to attend to .
I did stump sit , still hunt or drive for the first 28 years , but the knees had the final word .
You're going to get shot at.
Would you rather be shot at by someone warm and comfortable with a good solid rest, or someone half frozen with numb fingers and shivering likely to make an offhand shot right through the guts? Because you KNOW he's going to take the shot.....
Granted, you get your idiots making a bad shot from comfort, as well as an expert marksman perched on a limb.
I sat in my fully enclosed deer stand with drop down windows (which weren't even down), heater on in a t-shirt while I shot my third buck opening morning this year. Biggest challenge was setting down my cup of coffee fast enough to grab my gun before he was out of my shooting lane.
Thank god for party tags - guess I'm a "shooter" and not a "hunter" 
We've hunted the same land for 20+ years. Started out with climbing stands and before cameras were a thing we relied on our time in the stands and scouting for deer signs (do kids these days even know what those are?). We put the time in to find out where it was worth putting up a permanent stand to be able to hunt in luxury nowadays. I guess back then I was a "hunter" 
What a stupid discussion.
I think its a matter of perspective. Our ancestors probably thought a sharp stick and rock were an advantage. Fair chase is just a modern idea implemented by people who don't really need to hunt to survive. I'm picturing the first indian to use a musket getting crap from his buddies about fair chase.
Aside from the comfort level, an enclosed blind is no different than any stand. It is still hung in a tree that I assume was scouted out in some form or another. The difference can be who is sitting in the blind. During gun season there are quite a few people who show up to the woods for the first time on opening day and get led to a stand. They don't do the scouting or any work, they are just told to sit here and shoot a deer. So in my eyes they are just shooters and shooters get a lot of big bucks every year. The actual hunters though are the people who did the work to set those people up.
A friend's wife shot 3 bucks one gun season (anti-party tag guys are dying now). She was there 1 day, only day of the year she went in the woods. Now is she a hunter or a shooter? I say shooter LOL.
With a kid, especially a young kid, its up to the parent or mentor to involve them in the hunt. Sure they can still sit in a nice blind and shoot deer, but if they are involved in reading sign and setting things up, then they are hunting and not just shooting. My perspective anyways.
I think it's definitely fair chase. Is it an "advantage" to the hunter to stay warm and comfortable? Sure is! Will said hunter be guaranteed success because he/she is warm and comfortable? Nope!
The last couple years I've had the "luxury" of hunting private land, and it's box blinds on farm field edges. I certainly enjoy it, but I do miss being in the woods and seeing other wildlife. I just wish I had options out there...in woods sitting old school when it's decent out and in the blind when it's super windy and freezing.
Each to their own. Man, when its cold and windy I wish I was sitting in one. Me, I love the fresh air and being on the ground or in a stand. When I'm cold and can't take it, and need to leave, I'm fine with the quarry being the winner. In a sense to me, it is an unfair advantage. I'm no spring chicken, and someday I'll be in one just to hunt.
